5/25/06 - Representative Bonner -

. . . ABC News, both last night and again this morning, is guilty of throwing high standards and ethical behavior out the window. Their report that our Speaker, Denny Hastert of Illinois, is being investigated by the Justice Department lacks one essential element to a good news story: the facts. Even after the Justice Department issued a 10-word statement that said “Speaker Hastert is not under investigation by the Justice Department,” ABC refuses to retract this story. Instead, they cite an unnamed source in the Justice Department as the only evidence they need to throw trash into the mainstream.

Freedom of the press is a precious liberty. It should never be taken for granted, nor, my friends, should it be trampled on by people who stand behind this ideal instead of standing on the bedrock principle of getting the facts right and reporting the truth.

5/25/06 - Representative Foxx -

. . . [T]he press has reached a new low in this country. I am appalled that ABC World News Tonight ran a false story claiming that our Speaker of the House, who is of the utmost integrity, is under investigation by the Justice Department.

How convenient for them to mistakenly accuse the Speaker of the massive corruption that a Democrat Congressman is charged with, and then use the capabilities that only the mass media possesses to deliver that lie into the living rooms of every American.

Let me read to you the Justice Department’s press release issued yesterday. Here it is. Before ABC ran its blatantly false story, this press release did not mince words and said, “Speaker Hastert is not under investigation by the Justice Department.”

Enough said.

Not only is ABC pushing a fake story with no evidence, they are pushing it harder than the real corruption story, that of Democrat Rep. William Jefferson.

Newsbusters -

The Hastert claims led “World News Tonight” on Wednesday. But what about Monday night, when ABC’s Jake Tapper had the story on the FBI finding $90,000 in a Democratic congressman’s freezer?

Monday night’s broadcast didn’t get to Congressman William Jefferson until 20 minutes into the show, with no promotion at the show’s beginning. The program began with anchor Elizabeth Vargas promoting four other stories: identity theft against veterans, hurricane forecasts, the health of race horse Barbaro, and a segment on back pain.

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